Peterson Votes to Cut Burdensome Regulations by 30 Percent Over Three Years

COLUMBUS—State Senator Bob Peterson (R-Washington Court House) touted last week's Senate passage of his legislation to cut bureaucratic red tape by reducing burdensome regulations as a major victory for Ohio businesses. The measure brings Ohio more in line with national averages.

With 246,852 restrictions, Ohio is one of the most heavily regulated states, trailing only New York and Illinois, and far surpassing the neighboring states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and West Virginia.

“Creating a business friendly environment that promotes job creation and growth must continue to be a top priority for lawmakers,” said Peterson. “This bill takes necessary steps to pause and make sure our actions and policies as a state reflect that goal by eliminating unnecessary and overly burdensome rules and restrictions.”

Provisions of the bill will require a 10 percent reduction of regulatory restrictions each year for three years by the agencies. If agencies are unable to meet the 30 percent requirement, a "2-for-1" strategy would be implemented where two regulations must be eliminated for each new regulation created.

Additionally, the Joint Committee on Agency Rule Review would be required to release an annual report to inventory current and new restrictions across the state. The report will contain data from each state agency outlining the regulatory reductions for each agency and the percentage by which those agencies have reduced their regulatory footprint.

Passed by a vote of 23-9, Senate Bill 293 will now go to the Ohio House for further consideration.